The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-01-08

money so doubly, trebly secure, and even
now, when convinced he had been robbed,
he was unable TO discover how 1t had been
done-for the crime had Been committed
with extraordinary ingenuity not only
had the thief managed to unlock and re-
lock the chest, but also to break his seal,
and after having abstracted the money to
rcseal the bag.
Hc knew that IL was possible TO closely
reproduce q signet with bread, but this
required considerable time. The bread
must be we'll worked the impression taken
while the bread is soft; then it must be
allowed some days in which to
harden. This involved a double open
ing Of his chest once to take tho
cast of tho seal and again to
steal the money and reseal the bag. But
how had Marie got hold of his lscysl That
was impossible. If, however, she could
take the impress Of his seal she could take
also that Of the lock. go, he reasoned, the
robbery had boen committed; but the means
adopted showed that tho girl was adroit
in the art, ana that in all probability she
belonged to q gang Of thieves. This sus-
picion was corroborated by the fact that
none Of the money was recovered except
one ducat. The rest she had passed into
the hands Of her confedorates Lampert,
having turned deaf ear to his wife's re-
monstrances, went to the magistrate, OBJ
tanned an order for the arrest Of Marie
Keller, and few hours later she was
thrown into prison.
No sooner was this done t. an Frau LAM
pert sent to Marie's mother, poor wom-
an, living in Berlin, and requested that
she would come to her. The poor woman
was in great trouble; she could not be-
hnvr 4 ,fn,,,
able to guess who was the thief. Frau
Lampert told her that the girl had been a
good servant, and had never hitherto CIV
en- her an occasion to mistrust her. She
added that the girl Marie made great
mistake in refusing to acknowledge her
crime, and promised to give the mother
the missing sum OF money IL
Marie would confess her guilt
and refund to Lampert through the
mother The old woman accepted the offer
and went to Lampert. She told him that
she was heartbroken at the thought that
Marie had robbed him; she offered him the
money which, she said, her daughter had
confidod to her, and then implored him to
have mercy and withdraw from the prose-
cution of the charge.
But Lampert was still not to be shaken.
He had now got this additional proof
against Marie, that her mother had re-
ceived the stolen coins, and he at once
| visited the examing Judge and requested
him to hear the confession of the mother.
In Germany the examining judge holds q
| position to which we have nothing anal
ogous. He is in part public prosecutor, and
| 1t Is his office to collect evidence against
the accused. The most important evidence
is that obtained from the prisoner himself
he is questioned by the examining judge
in the presence Of notary employed to
take down his replies. The examinations
are numerous, and formerly the most cruel
| means were had recourse to to extort q
confession.
During the inquiry the prisoner is kept
| in ignorance Of the charge against him
and any endeavor on his part to gain in
formation on the subject is an offense in
| law. He Is not allowed to see o copy Of his
| own evidence or that of the witnesses. But
when the Judge has failed to obtain u con
fcssion, the prisoner is unexpectedly con
fronted with one or more Of the witnesses
against him, or with an accomplice, II
there should be one, in the hope of sur
prising him in confession. Should the
prisoner refuse to answer he is put on 9
diet of bread and water. In case of mur
der the accused is led to the spot wher,
ing corpse or may be the moldering re
mains are suddenly shown to him. Tor
ture used to be employed to wiring con
fession from him. He was subject to
thumb-scrcw, the rack and to fire. Some
times he was kept for months during
winter without fire, and in damp cell
where he was agonized with rheumatism
and ague. The cases are innumerable il
which false confessions of guilt were thu
extorted from innocent persons. Other
have committed suicide rather than con
fess to crimes they had not committed.
The examining judge now proceeds
vigorously to collect proofs of Marie
guilt. He took the evidence of Lamper
ON oath. In that evidence Lampert &C
knowledgod that he could find no signs o
his lock having been tampered with, nor O
the seal having been forced. Nevertheless
he was able to swear, by the date Of tn
ducat found in Marie's pocket that it wa
one Of those pieces of coin which he ha
sealed up in his leather pouch and locke
into the chest Marie was questioned. Sh
acknowledged that every evening she wen
into the bedroom where the Golfer was t
tidy the room and prepare the bed for he
master. Usually she had with her tn
daughter Of the master. She confesse
that she had been engaged in the room o
the evening preceding the discovery. Alst
she admitted that the dress in the pocke
of which the ducat was found was one G
her own, and one, moreover, which sh
had worn on that very evening. Never
theless, she persisted in her assertion tina
she was entirely innocent of the charge.
The mother Of the girl was next eros!
examined by the judge. The poor woman
like so many of the uneducated, thought
save her daughter by having recourse t
falsehood. It's curious fact that the III
cultured in civilized land, like the sa,
age, regard lying as natural means G
protection, which is always safe, and ne,
er wrong, to have recourse to. Frau Keller
confronted with the judge, at once, an
naturally, fell back ON lying. When, aske
whence her daughter had obtained th
ducat, the poor woman said that it was
g0dmother's present to Marie, which sh
(the mother) had formerly retained in he
possession, but which she had given
Marie when she went into Lampert's ser,
ice, because she feared lest, in the event {
her own death, her other children migt
seize on the ducat and refuse to give it u
to Marie.
The poor woman in telling this stor
completely broke down the doubt whic
the Judge had felt hitherto in Marie
guilt. He looked at the ducat, and it prove
by the date on it to have been struck fou
yea rs after Maries birth. The judge {
once charged the woman with connnivin
at her daughters guilt, and showed he
how false was her evidence on the test
mony of the date on the ducat. This con
pletely upset Frau Keller; she was unabl
to speak for some minutes, and at last, i
broken, hesitating Voice, told the judg